There were 24 teams in the First Division. At the end of each season the top two teams, together with the winner of the play-offs between the teams which finished in 3rd-6th position, were promoted to the Premier League and are replaced by the three teams that finished at the bottom of the Premier League. Similarly the three teams that finished at the bottom of the First Division were relegated to the Second Division and replaced by the teams which finished 1st, 2nd, and won the 3rd-6th place play-off winners, in that division.
| Year |
Winner |
| 1889 | Preston North End |
| 1890 | Preston North End |
| 1891 | Everton |
| 1892 | Sunderland |
| 1893Events January 1 Japan accepts the Gregorian calendar January 2 Introduction by Webb C. Ball of the General Railroad Timepiece Standards in North America: Railroad chronometers January 13 The Independent Labour Party of the UK has its first meeting. Janua | Sunderland |
| 1894Events January 8 A fire at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago causes a good deal of damage. January 9 New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard ( Lexington, Massachusetts). February 15 04:51 GMT | Aston VillaAston Villa is football club that play in Birmingham, England. They currently play in the Premier League. Aston Villa is the oldest football club in the Premiership. History Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874 by members of the Villa Cross |
| 1895Events January events January 5 Dreyfus Affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. February events February 14 First showing of Oscar Wilde's last play The Importance of Being Earnes | Sunderland |
| 1896Events January 4 Utah is admitted as the 45th U. January 5 An Austrian newspaper reports that Wilhelm Rontgen discovered a type of radiation later known as X-rays. January 12 H. Smith takes the first X-ray photograph. January 18 The X-ray machine is exhib | Aston Villa |
| 1897Events January 1 Brooklyn, New York merges with New York City. January 4 A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosheri, son-in-law of the Oba of Benin. This leads to a Punitive Expedition against Benin. February 2 The Pennsylvania state capitol is dest | Aston Villa |
| 1898Events January 1 New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. January 13 Emile Zola's J'accus | Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F. are a football club in The Football League. They were formed in Sheffield, England, in 1889. Their nickname is 'The Blades' and can be seen on the team emblem. Like their great local rivals, Sheffield Wednesday F. the team began as a c |
| 1899 | Aston Villa |
| 1900 | Aston Villa |
| 1901 | Liverpool |
| 1902 | Sunderland |
| 1903 | The Wednesday |
| 1904 | The Wednesday |
| 1905 | Newcastle United |
| 1906 | Liverpool |
| 1907 | Newcastle United |
| 1908 | Manchester United |
| 1909 | Newcastle United |
| 1910 | Aston Villa |
| 1911 | Manchester United |
| 1912 | Blackburn Rovers |
| 1913 | Sunderland |
| 1914 | Blackburn Rovers |
| 1915 | Everton |
| 1916- 19 | League suspended due to World War One |
| 1920 | West Bromwich Albion |
| 1921 | Burnley |
| 1922 | Liverpool |
| 1923 | Liverpool |
| 1924 | Huddersfield Town |
| 1925 | Huddersfield Town |
| 1926 | Huddersfield Town |
| 1927 | Newcastle United |
| 1928 | Everton |
| 1929 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1930 | Sheffield Wednesday |
| 1931 | Arsenal |
| 1932 | Everton |
| 1933 | Arsenal |
| 1934 | Arsenal |
| 1935 | Arsenal |
| 1936 | Sunderland |
| 1937 | Manchester City |
| 1938 | Arsenal |
| 1939 | Everton |
| 1940- 46 | League suspended due to World War Two |
| 1947 | Liverpool |
| 1948 | Arsenal |
| 1949 | Portsmouth |
| 1950 | Portsmouth |
| 1951 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1952 | Manchester United |
| 1953 | Arsenal |
| 1954 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1955 | Chelsea |
| 1956 | Manchester United |
| 1957 | Manchester United |
| 1958 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1959 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| 1960 | Burnley |
| 1961 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 1962 | Ipswich Town |
| 1963 | Everton |
| 1964 | Liverpool |
| 1965 | Manchester United |
| 1966 | Liverpool |
| 1967 | Manchester United |
| 1968 | Manchester City |
| 1969 | Leeds United |
| 1970 | Everton |
| 1971 | Arsenal |
| 1972 | Derby County |
| 1973 | Liverpool |
| 1974 | Leeds United |
| 1975 | Derby County |
| 1976 | Liverpool |
| 1977 | Liverpool |
| 1978 | Nottingham Forest |
| 1979 | Liverpool |
| 1980 | Liverpool |
| 1981 | Aston Villa |
| 1982 | Liverpool |
| 1983 | Liverpool |
| 1984 | Liverpool |
| 1985 | Everton |
| 1986 | Liverpool |
| 1987 | Everton |
| 1988 | Liverpool |
| 1989 | Arsenal |
| 1990 | Liverpool |
| 1991 | Arsenal |
| 1992 | Leeds United |
